Campaign Launched to Improve Rail Services in the South of East Ayrshire...
Updated: 4 hours ago
Councillors Neill Watts and Alyson Simmons have officially launched a major community campaign calling for a strategic infrastructure upgrade at New Cumnock Train Station to drastically improve regional rail connectivity.
The campaign centres on a new petition demanding that the Scottish Government, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), ScotRail, Network Rail and East Ayrshire Council to support, fund and install a dedicated train turnaround point at the station.
Currently, residents in the south of East Ayrshire are restricted to an inadequate two-hourly rail service to and from Glasgow, alongside heavily restricted Sunday timetables. The introduction of a turnaround point utilising the existing network footprint would allow ScotRail to terminate and reverse trains efficiently. This upgrade would immediately unlock the capacity to double local train frequencies to a reliable, hourly service seven days a week, directly benefiting the communities of New Cumnock, Cumnock, Auchinleck and the surrounding areas.
The campaign highlights that establishing an hourly timetable framework would significantly strengthen the wider strategic case for reopening a long-lost railway station in Mauchline, providing the high-frequency operational foundation required to support network expansion.
Speaking on the launch of the petition, Councillor Neill Watts said:
"For far too long, the rural communities in the South of East Ayrshire have been structurally disadvantaged by a subpar, two-hourly transit system. By installing a relatively straightforward turnaround point at New Cumnock, we can fix the logistical bottleneck, get cars off the accident-prone A76 corridor, and give our commuters, students, families and tourists the regular service they deserve."
Councillor Alyson Simmons (Ballochmyle Ward) added:
"The lack of reliable rail transport — especially on Sundays, leaves many local residents isolated and overly reliant on very limited bus services. An hourly, seven-day rail service will completely transform our local economy, make public transport a genuinely viable option, and lay the vital groundwork needed to bring Mauchline station back onto the network map."
The Councillors are urging all local residents, businesses, and regular rail users across the area to sign the petition and send a clear message to transport chiefs that the South of East Ayrshire must no longer be left behind.
Why this matters for our area:
✅ More Trains: Doubles the service frequency at New Cumnock and Auchinleck.
✅ Better Weekends: Delivers the vital Sunday services our community desperately needs.
✅ Future Growth: Paves the way and builds the ultimate structural case to reopen a station in Mauchline.
✅ Safer Roads: Provides a reliable alternative to driving, taking cars off the busy A76 corridor.
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